Bishop Todd Hunter’s life-long passion is to help others heed the call of Jesus to “come follow me” and thus to live their life in the kingdom of God as Jesus embodied, taught and demonstrated it. Bishop Hunter’s vision for such a life entails being the cooperative friend of Jesus, seeking to live a life of constant creative goodness, for the sake of others, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This overarching vision has led Bishop Hunter to engage deeply with a few core themes:
- The Gospel of the Kingdom
- The person and work of the Holy Spirit
- The nature and purpose of the church at the intersection of gospel and culture (missional ecclesiology)
- Spiritual formation as core to discipleship to Jesus
- Servant-hearted, kingdom-minded, Spirit-empowered leadership
Bishop Hunter has expressed his kingdom-Spirit-formation-church-culture focus in various settings. He is the founding bishop of The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others, a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. He writes a weekly newsletter: “The Gospel of the Kingdom.” Bishop Hunter is past President of Alpha USA, former National Director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, and retired founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, California. He is the author of Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Giving Church Another Chance, The Outsider Interviews, The Accidental Anglican, Our Favorite Sins, Our Character at Work and Deep Peace. His latest book What Jesus Intended: Finding Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion is available now.
Bishop Hunter is also the founder of the Center for Formation, Justice and Peace. The Center’s interdenominational community seeks to develop the Christlike character necessary to activate justice, leading to a life of deep peace for all people. Bishop Todd is one of the original hosts of Peace Talks, a podcast that spotlights women and men who are working to undo oppression, leading to lives of deeper peace for all.
Bishop Hunter holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and has served as an adjunct professor of evangelism, leadership in contemporary culture and spiritual formation at George Fox University, Fuller Seminary, Western Seminary, Vanguard University, Azusa Pacific University, Northern Seminary, and Wheaton College. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer at several institutions of higher learning. Bishop Hunter has written articles for study Bibles, dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Bishop Hunter and his wife Debbie live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have two adult children.
Todd reminds us that the church is not a place to go to, simply another meeting, but the way God has chosen to make himself known in our world.
Todd Hunter has provided a concrete and practical strategy for 21st century Christian living and witness.
Hunter writes with a grace-filled hand as he sets notions of Christian life, belief, community and mission into a new imagination, a Christianity rooted in the large sweep of the biblical story and expressed in the paths of actual life. This is a seasoned voice worth listening to!
Todd Hunter is someone who cares deeply about evangelism in contemporary culture. His huge experience in studying models of church growth give him a unique insight.
Todd Hunter draws on ancient practices in order to provide insight and strategy to face temptations in our lives.